Five on Friday: And here it's February

" I urge you to please notice when you are happy,

and exclaim or murmur or think at some point,

'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.' "

KURT VONNEGUT

I could feel myself smiling when I caught sight of tulips at the grocery store the other day. There is nothing like a bunch of pretty tulips to lift the spirits and add a cheery brightness to our world. With the winter holidays in the distant past and my days of hibernating in January also history, thoughts of Valentine's Day and spring begin to bubble up. The days are growing lighter. Cheery rivulets form as snow and ice melt on these spring-like days. If winter weather returns, and it probably will, it feels like we're ahead of the game at this stage.

I'm starting to feel like writing again. So I hope you enjoy today's edition of Five on Friday. Thank you for stopping by.

 

One. "Rose Postcards" giveaway

Sometimes when you're just browsing, that's when you find the best things. A box of postcards sat on its edge, like a book, on the shelf in the gardening section of our local bookstore. My hand reached out immediately. Inside were one hundred rose-themed postcards from the archives of The New York Botanical Garden. I was enthralled. What fun it will be to send these out in the mail. I think I'll even have a tiny giveaway and give some away here on the blog. Share the wealth, spread the joy.

In fact, if you leave a comment either here on my blog, or on my social media - Facebook or Instagram, mention "Rose Postcards", I'll put your name in the draw which we will do next week on Friday, February 13th. Two lucky winners for 5 postcards each.

Two. Things that cheer me up

- coffee brewing in the morning

- putting on the kettle

- a cup of tea in the afternoon

- hot buttered toast

- a pot of scented hyacinth in bloom

- a square of dark chocolate after supper

- the sound of trickling ice melting in early spring

- knowing a good book awaits at the end of the day

- putting things in order

- fresh sheets on the bed

- browsing a nice magazine

-going for a drive on a sunny afternoon

Three. Inner thoughts

How does one carry on without saying anything in response to the deeply unsettling events happening in the world around us? Some of it is just too close for comfort. And although it's often on my mind, and likely yours too, I want to assure you that I won't be sharing my opinions or thoughts about anything even remotely political here on my blog.

Some years ago, after much soul searching, I came to recognize that, as writers, we each must find our own place from which to write. Some may be called to address the issues of the day. And are good at it. God bless those who wrestle those issues and try to make sense of them for the rest of us. We need people in that arena. But I am not one of them.

When I started the blog in 2008, I knew its theme and focus would be about encouraging readers to find ways to live life more beautifully. Since then, our world has changed a lot. Because of social media, we now have the world's woes at our fingertips (and I daily wrestle with the desire to be well informed which is at odds with my desire to remain sane). 

I have asked myself on various occasions, do I need to change the way I write? Should my writing reflect more of the societal and cultural concerns many of us share; should I write to address these troubling issues?

A few years ago I received a comment from a quiet reader of my blog posts. She wrote to me saying, "Since deleting my own blog last year and trying to spend less time online, I haven't been by as much as I have in the past, but today, I was just longing for a glimpse of a beautiful blog, and yours immediately came to mind. … Truly, your little home on the internet adds beauty and joy to my days." 

That, my friends, puts the thumb on the pulse of my reason for keeping this place set apart for beautiful, hopeful things. Sometimes we just need a space where we can 'get away', where we can feel normal for a few minutes. And where we can focus on something that buoys the spirits so that, heartened, we can return to the fray and carry on, at least for the moment.

"Because even with the dark parts and the light parts and the good parts and the bad parts, dinner must still be served." from Once Upon A Wardrobe, p. 102

Four. Recently enjoyed

Babette's Feast (1958)

by Karen Blixen

(This exquisitely written novella is set in a remote village

in Norway during the late 19th century where two pious,

elderly sisters live their quiet lives. When a stranger

shows up on their doorstep one stormy night.)

The Queens of Crime (2025)

by Marie Benedict

(Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, and three other

Golden Age crime novelists join forces to solve a 'real' murder)

The Bookseller's Secret (2007)

by Michelle Gable

(a thrilling novel about the English novelist

Nancy Mitford during WWII)

The Other Windsor Girl,

A Novel of Princess Margaret (2019)

by Georgie Blalock

(a fictional peek into Princess Margaret's young life

through the eyes of her lady-in-waiting)

The Maid (mystery, 2022)

by Nita Prose

(Molly the maid loves her job. And  I loved the relationship

she had with her Gran who raised her. A story with mystery,

humour, an upscale hotel, and a body in a bedroom... all

interspersed with bonus quotes from Molly's wise Gran.)

*

Four quiet nonfiction books I'm also spending time with:

For Such A Time As This (2025)

An Emergency Devotional

by Hanna Reichel

Reclaiming Quiet (2024)

Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention

by Sarah Clarkson

Journeys to the Nearby (2025)

A gardener discovers the gentle art of untravelling

by elspeth bradbury

A Thousand Feasts (2024)

Small moments of joy, a memoir of sorts

by Nigel Slater

Five. My 5-year commonplace diary  

I began this pint-size five-year commonplace diary in January 2022. The idea was inspired by author Austin Kleon who used this diary to jot a favourite line he came across each day. Last month on January 1st, I started the fifth year. By the time I write my last quote on December 31st, I will have curated 1825 quotations—how is that for one tiny diary. Something I noticed as I watched the pages fill with quotes over the weeks, months, and now years, I am amazed at how often I recognize my frame of mind and what might have been going on, either in my life or the world at large, by the quotes I was drawn to at the time. Here's a handful to close out today's post:

*

February 2, 2022

"You're the right woman to handle your life."

Sally Clarkson

*

February 3, 2023

"Your work matters. God

intended you to make a difference."

Sandi Somers, "Building a Body of Work", InScribe blog post

*

February 4, 2024

"Always have something to look forward to."

Unknown

*

February 5, 2025

"Even in the darkness we will trust : that

our lives are still in your hands."

Shayne Claiborne, Common Prayer, p. 243

*

February 6, 2026

"Count your many blessings,

name them one by one."

line from the hymn 'Count Your Blessings' 

❦

Dear beautiful friends, thank you for visiting.

I am so grateful for your presence here. 

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

Photo credits:

(Top)Image by pezibear from Pixabay

(Hyacinth)Image by patrizzia from Pixabay

(Rest of pics)Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

 

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